It is necessary for side windows on automotive vehicles to be movable between an open position, in which the window is concealed within the vehicle door, and a raised position closing the open area above the door panel.
In hard top vehicles, the upper portion of the door usually includes a peripheral frame structure having a weatherstrip adapted to form a seal with the edge of the window when the window is in the closed position.
Convertible or soft top vehicles possess no such upper peripheral frame structure, so that the window must seal against a weatherstrip carried by the fabric structure forming the roof of the vehicle.
Due to folding requirements for the fabric top, this offers limited support when it is in the raised position. Consequently, the weatherstrip on the fabric top structure may at times fail to seal adequately along the upper edge of the side window.
In order to prevent potential water leakage paths between the vehicle side windows and the associated weatherstrip, it is necessary to adjust the stroke of the window so that the upper edge of the window seals against the associated weatherstrip. Herein, it is necessary to avoid excessive distortion or stretching of the fabric top, or the development of an excessive sealing force that might interfere with the opening or closing of the fabric top.
Adjustment of the window movement stroke after the vehicle is fully assembled is not easily achievable, as the window guide structure is completely sealed by the door outer panel and the door inner trim panel.
A vehicle window track adjustment system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,208 B1. Herein, a vertically disposed guide structure for the window is provided with an adjustment mechanism, whereby the guide structure can be raised or lowered to change the location of the stop and the orientation of the window upper edge to the associated weatherstrip.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,942 there is known a window adjustment apparatus for use with an automotive vehicle type of window assembly of the type having an elongate guide channel defining a longitudinal axis and which mounts a window for reciprocal motion relative to a vehicle body panel such as a vehicle door, and a pivot arrangement which mounts the guide channel for pivotal movement generally about one end thereof and within the vehicle body panel in which the guide channel is located.
DE 100 44 845 A1 discloses a vehicle door with adjustment means for a window regulator. This window regulator comprises tolerance adjusting means in the region of the lower attachment point of the guide rails within the door structure.
The present invention attempts to provide a simple and reliable means for adjusting the orientation of a window regulator and thus the stroke of a vehicle window.